Student Loan Office

Stafford Loans

If you are the recipient of a Stafford Loan awarded through the Financial Aid
office, the funds will be sent to the Bursar Office. The loan monies will be deposited directly
into your College account and any refund due to you will be automatically
refunded to you. Please remember that you must be enrolled in a minimum of six credits and
be enrolled in a degree program in order to be eligible for these funds.

Perkins Loans

Entrance Interviews

If awarded a Perkins loan by the Financial Aid Office, you will be requested to
attend an entrance interview at the Perkins Loan Office (Building 4, East Campus). At this
interview you will be requested to sign the Promissory note and complete other
related forms. This interview is mandatory. You will not receive the Perkins
loan without completing this process.

The entrance interview normally takes about ten minutes. Please bring the
following information:

Your driver's license or other picture ID.

The address and phone number of your next-of-kin.

The addresses and phone numbers of two additional references.

Exit Interviews

Federal regulations require that students borrowing from the Federal Perkins Loan Program receive Exit Counseling at the time a student graduates or otherwise leaves the college.

Cancellation Provisions Available

You also have the right to have part or all of your loan cancelled for -

death or total and permanent disability;

full-time employment in the Head Start Program or full-time staff member in a child care or pre Kindergarten program;

full-time employment as a teacher in an elementary school serving low-income students;

full-time teaching as a special education teacher;

full-time teaching of certain academic subjects in which there are teacher shortages;

full-time employment as a nurse or medical technician;

full-time employment in a public or nonprofit child or family service agency;

full-time service as a qualified professional provider of early intervention services;

full-time employment as a law enforcement or corrections officer or firefighter;

military service in a hostile fire/imminent danger area;

full-time employment as a librarian with a master’s degree or speech language pathologist with a master’s degree;

full-time employment as a faculty member in a tribal college; or

full-time employment as a federal public defender or federal community defender.

Loan Deferment Provisions

You may be eligible for FORBEARANCE or DEFERMENT of your Perkins Loan.

Forbearance

If a borrower is willing but financially unable to make the required payments
on a Perkins Loan, he or she may request that Rhode Island College grant
forbearance. Forbearance is a temporary postponement of payments, an
extension of time allowed for making payments, or the acceptance of smaller
payments than were previously scheduled. Interest will continue to accrue
during any period of forbearance. The borrower must request forbearance in
writing, providing documentation that supports the borrower's claim that he or
she is financially unable to make payments.

The forbearance is for a period of up to one year at a time. It may be renewed,
but the total period of forbearance may not exceed three years. The College is
authorized to apply the forbearance retroactively (that is, to begin on an
earlier date) if the borrower requests that the school do so and he or she
provides adequate documentation to support the request.

Forbearance is granted for the following reasons:

If the total amount the borrower is obligated to pay monthly on all
Student Financial Assistance (SFA) loans is equal to or greater than
20% of the borrower's total monthly gross income. The borrower must
provide the following documentation:

Evidence of the amount of the most recent total monthly gross
income the borrower received and

Evidence of the amount of the monthly payments the borrower
owes for the most recent month on his or her SFA loans.
Remember that if a payment is due quarterly you must divide
the quarterly amount by three to determine the monthly amount
due.

If the borrower is in poor health. The borrower must provide the
following documentation:

Certification by a physician that the borrower is unable to
work for a period of time.

If the borrower is serving in AmeriCorps.

Deferment

A borrower is entitled to have the repay¬ment of a loan deferred. During deferment, the borrower is not required to pay loan principal and interest does not accrue. After each deferment, the borrower is entitled to a post-deferment grace period of six consecu¬tive months. The promissory note you signed while in school describes many types of deferments, such as an in-school deferment, available under the Perkins Loan program. A borrower must apply for a deferment in writing by using a deferment form.

You may request an unemployment deferment if you are seeking and unable to
find full-time employment. The documentation required is either proof that you
are receiving unemployment benefits or you are registered with an agency and
this agency is working towards finding you full-time employment.

You may request an economic hardship deferment. A borrower is eligible for
an economic hardship for the following reasons:

The borrower has been granted an economic hardship deferment for either a Stafford or PLUS
Loan for the same period of time for which the Perkins Loan deferment has been requested.

The borrower is receiving federal or state general public assistance, such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Supplemental Security Income, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The borrower is working full-time* and is earning a total monthly gross income that does not
exceed (1) the monthly earnings of someone earning the minimum wage, or (2) 150% of the
poverty line** for the borrower’s family size.***

If you do not qualify for any of these forbearance or deferment programs, we
will still work with you to help you catch up on your payments. Please contact the office for
details.

The Consequences of Default

Rhode Island College is required, by Federal Regulation, to report the
status of your Perkins Loan to credit bureaus each month. If you become
past due, your credit rating will be adversely affected.

If your loan payment becomes seriously past due, your account will be
forwarded to a collection agency for collection. All associated
collection costs will be added to your outstanding balance.

You may not utilize the Cancellation provisions of the Perkins Loan
program while in collections or default.

Your entire balance due may become due immediately.

You are ineligible for any Federal financial aid while in default.

Your ability to borrow money (a mortgage loan) for a home may be
affected.